Perhaps no national 'cross championship is as hotly contested and heavily attended (30,000+ spectators are expected) as Belgium's, and this coming weekend in Mol the coveted champion's jerseys are once again up for grabs. Belgian titles for the junior categories will be contested on Saturday, January 12 while the elite men, elite women and U23 men will seek national championships on Sunday, January 13.

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Defending elite men's champion Sven Nys's presence is still in doubt as the ailing Crelan-Euphony rider tries to fully recover from the ailment which prevented him from riding his eponymous GP Sven Nys and then contributed to a lowly 20th place finish at last Sunday's World Cup round in Rome, Italy. The legendary 'crosser already has eight elite Belgian titles in his palmares but full recover in advance of the world championships in Louisville, Kentucky may compel the Cannibal from Baal to forego competing.

Several contenders for the elite men's title, such as Kevin Pauwels, Klaas Vantornout, Rob Peeters and Bart Aernouts, took to the venue today for training. Click on the gallery to the right to view photos from today's training session.